I had a good day. It wasn’t luck and good fortune. It was 6 months of dedication, focus, and hard work yo. So many 4am wake ups and solo training rides.
A 200 mile race with over 8000 feet of climbing. I was in the 45+A Field which is basically a 1/2/3 vibe. These fields are brutal for me and I am usually found stuck in the middle. That would be a horrific place in a 200 mile race. I needed to make it over Strawberry with the lead group to prevent this.
The first forty miles were easy. I floated near but never on the front. I was surfing around with Craig S, last year’s winner at 8:53 or something crazy like that.
Oh yeah, a great result for me would be 9:30 or about 30 min off my CATs winner.
Group potty stop at mile 40 was a relief. Literally!! I am 51 year old cyclist with a mad prostate.
The rolling terrain out of Preston was beautiful. In fact my favorite section were the miles from 40 to 100.
I felt great. Legs felt great. BUT Half the field dropped me up the first section of Strawberry Pass. I had to find my pace and avoid red lining myself. I did which had me riding with 2 other guys into the first SAG Stop at mile 75.
I had the support of BAA for the race. Wow, these fantastic people have got the process down. I was in and out in 30 seconds.
Somewhere into the SAG 1 rider 3 dropped and it was just me and Lawerence 19. As in this was his 19th LOTOJA! As we left the stop several riders rolled in who caught up quickly. Now we had 5 guys, including last year’s winner Craig S. a follow Arizonian.
The climbing came quick after that stop. We were working together well on the flats. I was floating back on the climbs. I was staying on top of fueling which consisted of Formula 369 and Carb Fuel Gels.
I had a moment on the KOM climb though. The last mile is tough. I was dropped, but calm. I knew I could bridge back up or I knew I MUST? Riding solo for 100 miles was not an option. So I bridge it!
Then…Craig showed me how to descend. I was 120+ rpm spinning out my 48x10 while he put at least 30 seconds into me. Thankfully it chilled out when it flattened out and we were all back together headed into the 125 mile SAG Stop 2.
My plan was 2 stops. I was grabbing a 2L Hydro and 2 Bottles at mile 125. Melissa was there with TEAM BAA and got me in and out. It is such a burst of energy to see a loved one and get support from BAA. Amazing.
We rolled out with 6 or 8 from that stop. Miles 125 to 175 were pretty unpleasant for me. I had bladder issues. I had to skip turns in the rotating pace line which can piss people off. This group seemed to understand and I basically communicated “I was not in a good spot.”
Miles 170-195 brought their own fun. First, I flipped the Garmin to a screen that did NOT show mileage. Next, my stomach was done with sugar and sending it back out. Again, I managed it.
I gotta say, these issues were pretty minor. After mile 125 we kept a solid rotating pace line going 25+ MPH. I chuckled when looking down a few times and seeing 28 mph as I rotated off. Rolling fast turns like that after all those hard miles was a vibe. Hard work put me here yo!
The last 10 miles followed some quieter roads than a bike path that dumped us onto the finish line stretch. I asked Craig; flyer or sprint? There were a couple moves off the front. Maybe 2k Craig took that flyer. I followed the chase when it was back together I countered, the old 1-2 from the AZ Squad. I didn’t make it.
I beat my goal of 9:30 by ten minutes. The lead group and winners were 8:53. Above my best fitness for sure. I rode well in the 2nd group on the road all day. I was mentally sharp all day. I followed my plan. The bike was dialed in, no issues. Things went well for my very first LOTOJA.
The result wasn’t luck. It was 6 months of training and planning. So many 4am wake ups and 8:30pm bed times. So many solo miles to maximize my time. So many gels. So many miles (like over 7k already).
Thank You!
My wife was 100% supportive all year. Taking weekend trips with me to ride in cooler temps. Letting me sit on the Sofa all day after a 6 hour ride. Taking me to Yellowstone post race! :) Team Hampton was all in.
Team BAA adopted me for this year. An experienced LOTOJA Team. They have the logistics down. We rode all summer and they offered up tons of advice and motivation. Great people.
Also, I appreciate all my roadie friends and family who followed along, offered encouragement, and were excited for the results.
Finally, I will borrow from the man Snoop:
“Last but not least, I wanna thank me
I wanna thank me for believing in me
I wanna thank me for doing all this hard work
I wanna thank me for having no days off
I wanna thank me for, for never quitting”
STATS WRAP UP
9:17:40 ride time
9:20:26 total time
*WOW*
5705 KJs
457 TSS
529 XSS
10 FD Shifts
1457 RD Shits! 7 Per Mile!!
May 1st to Aug 31st
230 Hours - 4309 miles - 12007 TSS
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